u/drecmboy

To preface this, this is just an opinion. I’m currently C3 on Open Q, and GM3 on Role Q. I’ve played around 10 games on LW in the arcade community crafted mode and he feels amazing.

What must be taken into consideration is that we still can’t get a full assessment of the changes because it’s not in a competitive set of games and some players (allies & enemies aren’t aware/accustomed to the Lifeweaver changes so they may be caught off guard).

Now onto my main thoughts!

Superbloom belongs in the base kit. 90% of Lifeweavers use Superbloom and have gotten accustomed to it and there’s no reason why it should be locked behind a major perk slot. It rewards aim & target priority. He finally has the combat strength of his support peers like Baptiste & Kiriko. His base damage without Superbloom is not worth using and because of its slow efficiency, it’s not worth swapping off healing blossom usage (which motivates healbot playstyle and is outdated).

The reload speed change is a great addition, although it may need to be fine tuned so that it pairs more cohesively with the reload speed when using alternative fire (healing blossom). The main thing about the reload speed change is that you also don’t need to worry about being stuck in reload animation/animation lock when trying to use other abilities such as Life Grip, Petal Platform, Tree of Life and when you’re still dueling an enemy but have to sit idle in a reload animation for 1.5 seconds while the enemy can delete you. Overall, this reload speed really cleans up the jankiness of his kit and adds fluidity.

All the above weapon changes will allow Lifeweavers to finally be proactive in combat rather than waste ammo at feeding chip damage or shooting only the tank. It finally feels more purposeful and rewarding.

Tree of Life changes now provide cooldown reduction for allies and cooldown deduction for enemies and can be used more tactfully. To list the examples of utility in the few games alone, I was able to reduce ally Mercy’s rez cooldown to allow for a resurrection in time to win the fight, allowed for bastion to get turret form quicker, and allowed for a Winston to get his bubble quicker to block damage from an incoming enemy Juno ult and save more allies. It was also denying enemy Winston from using his jump in order to get back to his team and won us the fight. It finally feels like a proactive and crowd control ult with purpose rather than a fight prolonging tool. It will force allies to use it and force enemies out of the radius, which pushes for usage during contests & negating enemy dives/rushes.

Arboreal Affliction is a good major perk and it adds even more dimension to Lifeweaver’s kit. It can play as a minimized discord, and can counter out many heroes self-healing tools and counters out the sustain in the game. I find Sow The Seed still more circumstantial and requires more coordination, but it can have a consistent use when it comes to amplifying heals to teammates when you’re getting dove. With all the implemented changes, Lifeweaver doesn’t require bonus damage output when choosing his perks anymore. It doesn’t feel like a must have as a major perk, so if you ever feel like your heals are lacking or your allies are too aggressive, then Sow The Seed can be considered more viable than before.

Not many of my allies have used Petal Platform but I’m sure it will have its uses in game if ever implemented properly. It won’t add a lot to the game but can make or break a fight if allies learn to use petal for their benefit and deny enemies from using it.

I don’t think Lifeweaver will be broken with all these changes implemented but it is a lot. With the future rework planned, I hope this is the direction the team decide to go with. It retains his identity whilst making him an offensive pick. He will jump to A-tier if all of these changes are implemented which will make a few members of the playerbase angry due to his “annoying” utility, and his heal having no aim expression, but as for the better side of the community, these changes will be greatly appreciated and will also turn tides for Lifeweaver players and allies in game that enjoy playing alongside a Lifeweaver. In the current aggressive meta, these changes fit perfectly.

Sorry for the long essay! Hope you enjoyed my thoughts and let me know if you agree/disagree/have more to add!

Saw another subreddit do this and thought it would be interesting to see it with Weaver mains. A lil checkpoint and pat on the back for all the progress we’ve made with what’s considered one of the weakest supports in Overwatch history and how we’re able to still climb regardless!

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